CGI celebrates 50th anniversary as it eyes further growth
CGI, a Montreal-headquartered management and IT consulting firm, is in 2026 celebrating 50 years in business.
From a two-person startup formed in 1976 in Quebec City, CGI has grown into one of the world’s largest independent IT and business consulting services firms – booking annual revenue of $15.91 billion and comprising 94,000 professionals globally.
Serge Godin – who remains at the firm as co-chair – founded Conseillers en gestion et informatique (“Consultants to Government and Industry") 50 years ago. In the decade following its founding, CGI would evolve into a consulting and systems integration company as organizations began to ramp up their IT outsourcing.
CGI went public in 1986, being listed on the Montreal Exchange at $6.50 a share. At the time, the company had grown to 225 employees and $22 million in annual revenue. CGI is today listed on the TSX ($116.70 per share as of January 30) and on the NYSE.
The firm would see steady growth over the next 40 years. CGI grew to 1,200 people and $122 million in revenue by 1996, and then jumped to 25,000 people and $3.5 billion revenue in 2006.
By 2016, CGI had expanded to 68,000 people and $10.7 billion in revenue.
The firm today serves businesses and governments with a wide array of services and solutions in AI, digital transformation, data, cloud modernization, cybersecurity, and business process optimization.
CGI says its approach is grounded in proximity to clients, accountability and ownership, and a global delivery model with deep local insight.
“For 50 years, we have lived by a dream: creating an environment in which we enjoy working together and, as owners, contribute to building a company we can be proud of,” said Godin. “This dream carries us through every technological shift, geopolitical cycle, and economic transformation, connecting us across generations and geographies.”
CGI will mark its 50th anniversary throughout 2026 with a series of initiatives, stories, and events that highlight the theme of “Building what’s next.”
“As the pace of transformation accelerates, our focus remains firmly on the future, anticipating what’s next, applying deep industry and technology expertise, and helping our clients move forward with confidence,” said François Boulanger, president and CEO of CGI. “The role of technology in shaping a better world has never been more powerful or more human. And for CGI, this is only the beginning.”
